* Pikachu is one of fourteen Pokémon that one can collect [[Meister|foreign Pokédex entries]] for in {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s}}.

* Pikachu is one of fourteen Pokémon that one can collect [[Meister|foreign Pokédex entries]] for in {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s}}.

* Pikachu and {{p|Raichu}} share the same [[species]] name with {{p|Rattata}}, {{p|Raticate}}, {{p|Sandshrew}}, and {{p|Sandslash}}. They are all known as Mouse Pokémon.

* Pikachu and {{p|Raichu}} share the same [[species]] name with {{p|Rattata}}, {{p|Raticate}}, {{p|Sandshrew}}, and {{p|Sandslash}}. They are all known as Mouse Pokémon.

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* Despite Pikachu's absence from the Unova Dex and not being native to [[Unova]], a Trainer's Pikachu can be seen in [[Castelia City]], and another Pikachu is depicted on a billboard. Also, there are several Pikachu-shaped hedges in [[Striaton City]], There is a large Pikachu-head balloon near the Gym in [[Nimbasa City]], and Pikachu is depicted on clothing worn by male {{tc|Pokéfan}}s.

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* Despite Pikachu's absence from the Unova Dex and not being native to [[Unova]], a Trainer's Pikachu can be seen in [[Castelia City]], and another Pikachu is depicted on a billboard. Also, there are several Pikachu-shaped hedges in [[Striaton City]], there is a large Pikachu-head balloon near the Gym in [[Nimbasa City]], and Pikachu is depicted on clothing worn by male {{tc|Pokéfan}}s.

* The earliest sketch of Pikachu had a white muzzle, but soon became yellow like the rest of its body. This is still depicted in its front sprites from {{game2|Red|Green|Blue}} as well as in the international {{game|Red and Blue|s}}.

* The earliest sketch of Pikachu had a white muzzle, but soon became yellow like the rest of its body. This is still depicted in its front sprites from {{game2|Red|Green|Blue}} as well as in the international {{game|Red and Blue|s}}.

* Pikachu is the first Pokémon by National Dex order to be related to a Pokémon from another generation: Pichu.

* Pikachu is the first Pokémon by National Dex order to be related to a Pokémon from another generation: Pichu.

Biology

Physiology

Pikachu is a short, chubby, rodent-like Pokémon with yellow fur all over its body. Pikachu's ears are long and come to a point with black tips. It has a small mouth, which resembles a sideways 3, it has black eyes and two red circles on its cheeks. Its forearms are short and somewhat stubby, with 5 digits on each "hand" and its feet have three digits. It has two brown stripes on its back, and its tail is in the shape of Zigzag-styled lightning bolt, with a patch of brown fur at the base of the tail. Although it is technically a quadruped, on multiple occasions it has been shown to be able to stand and walk upright on its hind legs.

Gender differences

A female Pikachu has a v-shaped "dent" at the end of its tail. Male Pikachu do not have this dent. In Black and White, male Pikachu have less black covering their ear, though this is only shown in frontal sprites.

Special abilities

Exclusive to Pikachu is the ability to release electric discharges of varying intensity, at will, through electric sacs in its cheeks. This electric energy can be manipulated into a variety of techniques which are mostly used in battle, but which can be used to roast Berries as well.

As Pikachu builds up energy in its electricity glands, it often needs to discharge, as to not result in a short, or worse, which can lead to physical paralysis, or in severe cases, death. Pikachu release the built-up energy through their tail, which acts as a grounding rod, to remove unneeded energy safely. A sure sign that a location is inhabited by Pikachu is to look for patches of burnt grass, which is the result of the discharge. Through an inability to release a buildup of electricity, a Pikachu may develop a rare condition similar to the human flu. This illness is most often caused by strong nearby electromagnetic forces, which severely affect the electric glands. If a Pikachu is introduced to a magnet, it will be attracted towards its cheeks and display other common attributes of magnetism.

Pikachu is known to have acute senses of hearing, thanks to its large ears. Most domestic Pikachu are able to understand and interpret human speech at levels far surpassing those of any pet dog.

Behavior

In the wild, Pikachu often travel in packs, and are rarely territorial. However, when threatened, a group can generate an intense electrical offensive, and the electromagnetic forces exerted by the resulting field can even produce a short lived, localized thunderstorm. Pikachu can be harmful pests, eating and sometimes destroying telephone poles, wires, and other electronic equipment.

Despite this, it is a popular pet, and relatively easy to maintain, with little exercise necessary for its well-being. However, it is important to discharge the electricity in its cheeks periodically.

As many know, pulling on a Pikachu's tail will result in a severe shock to the offender. Another defense of Pikachu's is the use of its nasty bite, which has been known to leave quite a mark.

Habitat

They are found mostly in forests, but possibly because of their attraction to electricity or simply because they are not afraid of people, Pikachu commonly show up in civilized areas. They may even enter houses, presumably attracted by the electrical output generated by the dwellers' appliances. Pikachu are native only to the Kanto region (specifically, Viridian Forest and the Kanto Power Plant), although they have been introduced to the Hoenn Safari Zone and to the Trophy Garden in Sinnoh.

Diet

Living in forested areas, Pikachu often are found foraging for Berries. Instead of climbing trees, they use small electrical shocks to release the Berries from the tree, roasting them at the same time.

As pets, they can be fed a variety of processed food. Alternatively, like most Pokémon, Pikachu are tolerant to most "human" foods, and sometimes enjoy them more than the more nutritional food designed for their biology. An example of this is the fact that Ash's Pikachu has been known to have a fondness of ketchup. Pikachu is also occasionally seen eating apples.

Ash was given the opportunity to release Pikachu in Pikachu's Goodbye, as Pikachu seemed very happy with the other Pikachu. Even though he did attempt to, the bond between the two was too strong, so Pikachu chose to stay with him. This episode also featured many other wild Pikachu.

Another Pikachu nicknamed Puka was owned by a man named Victor on Seafoam Island in The Pi-Kahuna. This blue-eyed Pikachu saved Ash from drowning by having the ability to sense tidal waves approaching.

In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Mewtwo clones Ash's Pikachu. This Pikachu can be told apart from Ash's due to spikes on the black marks at the tips of its ears. It is also comparatively more aggressive than Ash's Pikachu and slurs its speech, defects possibly caused by Ash tampering with Mewtwo's cloning machine during the cloning process.

Other

James used a Pikachu in the Pokémon League Entrance Exam in The Ultimate Test, but it was defeated by the instructor's Graveler. James, after interfering with a battle Ash was having with the instructor, later tried to steal this Pikachu, only for that Pikachu to zap James instead, as instructed by its instructor.

A Pikachu named Sugar belonging to the owners of a restaurant went missing prior to Cooking up a Sweet Story!, and Ash's Pikachu had to fill in for it so that its owner would have the confidence to win a cooking competition. At the end of the episode, Sugar returns, however, it has evolved into a Raichu.

A Pikachu that belonged to an unnamed Aura Guardian appeared in a flashback in The Keystone Pops!.

Pikachu is a main character in the Magical Pokémon Journey manga series. He is the first Pokémon befriended by Hazel, appearing for the first time in How Do You Do, Pikachu?. Pikachu is one of the few Pokémon in Magical Pokémon Journey that cannot speak human language, although the others seem to understand him. He is described as rather scatterbrained at times. Pikachu returns as a main character in Pokémon Chamo-Chamo ☆ Pretty ♪, the sequel to the Magical Pokémon Journey series.

Ash's Pikachu also makes a cameo appearance in bonus chapters at the end of every volume of the Magical Pokémon Journey manga.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Pikachu debuted in its own round in the Red, Green & Blue chapter, Wanted: Pikachu!. Here, a Pikachu was stealing all the crops in a town. The townsfolk kept chasing it around, but end up getting shocked by it. Red arrives and captures it, ending the chaos. Although extremely disobedient at first, even prone to regularly electrocuting its owner, the two eventually got over this enmity, and this Pikachu, nicknamed "Pika", became one of his most loyal and trusted fighters, being used in almost every major battle Red has had. It also served on Yellow's team while Red was held captive by the Elite Four during the Yellow chapter before being returned to him, during which Yellow discovered that it can Surf.

Pika and Chuchu share a loving relationship, one that is so strong that even Jasmine noticed, prompting her to hand Yellow a slip with the Pokémon Daycare's address on it. Later on, after Yellow and Wilton were brought to the Day Care after being shipwrecked, Yellow finds that Pika and Chuchu now have an Egg shortly after they were "put together." The Egg eventually hatches into Gold's Pichu.

When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build up and cause lightning storms. Forest dwellers, they are few in number and exceptionally rare. The pouches in their cheeks discharge electricity at their opponents. The Pikachu are believed to be highly intelligent.

In the TCG

Pikachu somehow manages to find its way into many of the expansions, causing there to be 84 known non-reprint Pokémon cards featuring Pikachu. There are also various Trainer cards with Pikachu in the card's artwork too, including the very sought-after tournament promos such as No.1 Trainer.

In the early days of the TCG, several notable errors were made regarding the Pikachu cards. The Base Set Pikachu was released with altered artwork at first, depicting it with red cheeks, instead of the original yellow. While this matched Ken Sugimori's artwork, the yellow color on its cheeks was intentional by the artist, who depicted Pikachu using ThunderShock. This error appeared in both the E3 promotional version and the normal Base Set release. A second error was made in the production of Jungle set booster packs, which, instead of the Jungle set's Pikachu, contained, at times, first edition versions of the Pikachu that was released as a promo card.

NPC appearances

Hey You, Pikachu!: Pikachu stars along side an unnamed child (who bears a striking resemblance to Red) who was recently taught how to interact with wild Pokémon by Professor Oak. The boy and Pikachu form a bond and go on many adventures together, and one day the Pikachu decides to live with the boy.

Pokémon Stadium 2: Pikachu can be used in "Pichu's Power Plant" if one is detected in a Transferred Pokémon game.

Pokémon Pinball: Pikachu serves as a Ball-Saver, but it will only work if the Lightning Meter is full.

Pokémon Channel: Much like Hey You, Pikachu!, Pokémon Channel focuses on a boy and a Pikachu bonding through social interactions, such as going outside and talking to other Pokémon, and watching TV together.

This Pokémon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while Pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up.

Smash Bros.-only moves

Pikachu's Thunder Jolt in Brawl

Thunder Jolt (Japanese: でんげきElectric Attack) is Pikachu's standard special move in all three Smash Bros. games. When used, Pikachu will release a small, blue bolt that slowly jumps across the platform. It can also turn around at some corners.

When used in midair, Pikachu will instead make a white ball that will travel in a downward diagonal line until it reaches a platform. In Brawl, there is a blue sphere around the white ball.

In 2008, Japanese researchers discovered a new protein which helps carry electrical impulses from the eyes to the brain and named it Pikachurin. According to the researchers, the decision was based on both the Pokémon and protein possessing "lightning-fast moves and shocking electric effects".

There have been two Pikachu balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The first, known as the "Flying Pikachu" was flown from 2001 through 2005, was used in a morning rush hour test of wind conditions in Times Square after an accident in 2005's parade, and made its farewell appearance at the Party of the Decade in August of 2006 in New York City's Bryant Park. The second version features glowing cheeks and chases a Poké Ball balloon, and debuted in the 2006 parade.

Despite Pikachu's absence from the Unova Dex and not being native to Unova, a Trainer's Pikachu can be seen in Castelia City, and another Pikachu is depicted on a billboard. Also, there are several Pikachu-shaped hedges in Striaton City, there is a large Pikachu-head balloon near the Gym in Nimbasa City, and Pikachu is depicted on clothing worn by male Pokéfans.

The earliest sketch of Pikachu had a white muzzle, but soon became yellow like the rest of its body. This is still depicted in its front sprites from Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue as well as in the international Pokémon Red and Blue.

Pikachu is the first Pokémon by National Dex order to be related to a Pokémon from another generation: Pichu.

In the games, Pikachu is the only Pokémon to have its cry changed to that of its anime counterpart. This only happened in Pokémon Yellow. Junichi Masuda details the modification of Ikue Ohtani's voice to a sound capable of being made by the low-tech Game Boy in his Director's Column. In some parts of the game, though, Pikachu's original cry was used.

Pikachu is the only main series starter Pokémon which cannot be evolved in the game in which it is a starter Pokémon.

Pikachu is the only main series starter Pokémon that does not have a 7:1 male to female gender ratio.

Pikachu is the only main series starter Pokémon that can be received by the player that can also be caught in the wild.

Origin

Pikachu has physical aspects resembling several species of rodents. Its species suggests that it is based on a mouse. Despite its name, however, it has no relation to the pika, which is related to rabbits.

Name origin

Pikachu is a combination of ピカピカ pikapika (onomatopoeia for sparkle) and チューチュー chūchū (the sound of squeaking).

In other languages

Language

Title

Meaning

Japanese

ピカチュウ Pikachu

Combination of ピカピカ pikapika (onomatopoeia for sparkle) and チューチュー chūchū (the sound of squeaking)